HI - Halifax Heritage House Hostel

This is a charming hostel, with excellent facilities in one of the best locations I've seen of the 50 or so hostels I've visited throughout North America and Europe. The one downfall is that its atmosphere unfortunately, does not always reflect its vibrant surroundings, as a result of a relatively unusual staff culture.

The hostel is located on the famous Barrington Street of Halifax, no more than four or five blocks from all the tourist, commercial, business, and entertainment centers of the city. Moreover, it is no more than a three minute walk from the piers and the famed, and exceptionally beautiful, harbour boardwalk. What is most convenient is that it is about a three minute walk from the VIA train station (up one block to Barrington, right on Barrington for 1.5 blocks, then you'll find the hostel on the right side of the street, next to the YWCA), a very large grocery store, and from the Westin hotel, where the airport shuttle (which runs approximately every hour from the Halifax airport and back) makes a stop. When staying at this hostel you are no more than a ten minute walk to all the best attractions of Halifax, including, but not limited to: the harbour, Alexander Keith's brewery, the famous Farmer's Market (be sure to visit early on a Saturday, because as one local explained it to me "there is no place else to be in Halifax on a Saturday morning"), the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Bud the Spud French Fries on Spring Garden Road, the parliament building, the ferry to Dartmouth ($2USD roundtrip and a 5-10 minute commute across the harbour), the amphibious Halifax tours, and citadel hill (where a gun is fired once at noon every day in Halifax). From this vantage point you will be able to explore all that is wonderful about Halifax as you easily interact in a relaxed atmosphere with its exceptionally friendly and helpful population.

Halifax is the type of place where you smile at strangers and throw away garbage you may find on the sidewalk. It is, of course, a harbor community hardened by the elements and the tragedies concomitant with a harbor life, but also as most harbor communities are - one that looks well after its members, most especially, in Halifax's case, given the legacy of human disaster in its rich history. The hostel itself, reflects this duality.

The hostel is pricey, especially with ridiculous add-ons, such as a $5/night charge for bag storage in a locked room (or $3/day only) (and, as you will be admonished, unprompted: "...and you CANNOT have access to the bag during this time – it is DEAD storage!") and an excessive $50/night charge for a single room, of which they have approximately five. Other choices include a four bed, six bed, or eight bed single sex dorm room for $24/night, regardless of which you are in. There is a very large, diner-type kitchen with floating range island and ample accoutrements, vending machines, two working email machines (ten minutes internet for a loonie ($1 CND, 60 cents USD)), a nice TV, outside balcony, washing machines, and large gym lockers in the rooms. You can take a swim next door at the Y, or create some pottery at the make-your-own-pottery shop next door on the other side, for $10-$40 CDN.

The hostel is not exceptionally clean and not very well ventilated, but its condition befits this harbor-side neighborhood and it is cleaner than the YWCA next door, although the price is certainly not justified by the condition of the hostel (and certainly not by the ‘helpfulness' of the staff). It is justified by the location of the building. In other words, this is the cleanest hostel-level accommodation you are going to get downtown, and downtown is where you'll want to be in Halifax. Make reservations at least a few weeks in advance, as this is a prime location and the hostel tends to fill to capacity, especially on weekends. Pack a few layers of clothing as the weather changes quickly, often in the same day.

Most of the staff is pleasant enough, although not excessively reflective of the renowned and wonderful Halifax spirit of communion and goodwill which you will encounter in great abundance everywhere else, including throughout the hostel. Again, however, it is one of my favorite hostels, ever, despite some extremely sensitive management which can and will make your life very difficult if they choose. The cold atmosphere often belies their true spirit, however, and, if you can afford the time to spend with them, this, by far, is one of my best recommendations for a hostel stay. As a guest, you will soon find that the city and the location of the hostel more than make up for any of the deficiencies you might discover within. Within a few years, I am quite sure that the Heritage House Hostel would easily rank as one of the top 10 hostels in North America.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review